7th April 2008

Word of the week.............

condign
n adjective formal (of punishment) fitting and deserved.

ORIGIN
Middle English: from Old French condigne, from Latin condignus, from con- 'altogether' + dignus 'worthy'.

Idly glancing through the court columns of the newspaper on the weekend, my eye fell on the above word used by a learned judge as he pronounced sentence. Not having come across it before , a trip to the dictionary produced the resultant meaning. Fascinating and illuminating such displays of the English language may be, it would be totally lost on 99% of those in attendance including the defendant! Perhaps it's some sort of "in joke" played by the judiciary to relieve the monotony of dealing with felons.

Trolling through the TV schedules a chance discovery of a film produced a real gem screened at 12.30am on TV1 Sunday morning. Not only did it run totally devoid of advertisements (not even a promo!!), but most of the actors in it were "names", Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins, Tom Courtney, Michael Caine, Ray Winstone and David Hemmings. Sunday Theatre used to screen programs and films of the same genre, but have lost the plot over the past year or so. They showed the film "Brokeback Mountain" in the spot this week. We watched this movie instead.

Brief summary........
Jack Dodd was a London butcher who enjoyed a pint with his mates for over 50 years. When he died, he died as he lived, with a smile on his face watching a horse race on which he had bet, with borrowed money. But before he died he had a final request, 'Last Orders', that his ashes be scattered in the sea at Margate. The movie follows his mates, Ray, Lenny and Vic and his foster son Vince as they journey to the sea with the ashes. Along the way, the threads of their lives, their loves and their disappointments are woven together in their memories of Jack and his wife Amy

If it ever comes on again, watch or record it, it's a nice study of human interaction.

TC